Metacognitive Strife Made Manifest By Text and Performance in Cheek by Jowl’s Macbeth

In "The Tragedy of Macbeth", the title character’s internal conflicts are fascinating for two reasons. They are vivid representations of the metacognitive strife that is part and parcel of the human condition, and they bleed over into ostensible reality, as if we are observing his mental interiority. The Cheek by Jowl production of the play (BAM Harvey Theater, April 5-17, 2011) increases both the accuracy of these representations, as well as the degree to which they bleed over into reality.